Kate Moennig, who'll reprise her role
as Shane McCutcheon on the upcoming The L Word sequel, says
the original show helped her discover her identity.
The L Word ran for six seasons
(2004-2009) on Showtime. The premium cable channel will debut the
show's sequel, The L Word: Generation Q, on December 8.
(Related: First
look: Showtime releases trailer for lesbian drama The
L Word: Generation Q.)
In an interview for the podcast RuPaul:
What's The Tee with Michelle Visage, Moennig talked about her
sexuality.
“Did you always know you were a
lesbian?” asked RuPaul, who co-hosts the podcast with Michelle
Visage.
“Well, I grew up Catholic and I went
to Catholic school for 13 years so I wasn’t really in an
environment to explore that, especially at that time in the ‘80s
and the ‘90s,” Moennig answered. “Now I believe if I was in
high school now I would see it more. Back then you didn’t. That
shit did not exist.”
“Oddly enough, when I got The L
Word, that's where my wheels started turning.”
Moennig said she dated men and
“appreciated their beauty” but wondered why she just didn't care.
“I didn't know what that was. I
didn't have the vocabulary for it yet,” she
said.
“[The L Word] was the first
time I was in an environment when it was so welcomed and discussed.
Everyone was open and proud and confident. I'd never seen that
before,” she said.
Moennig added that her recent marriage
to wife Anna was something that “happened organically.”
“I never really cared about getting
married, to be honest,” Moennig said. “It never was important. It
just happened organically. If I was to get married, it would be this
one because it just makes sense. And it feels safe and it feels like
I'm at home.”